


Warm Me Up (and Breathe Me)

by hibiren



Series: Jay's FFXV Halloween Week 2019 Fics [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fae, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort, Daemons, Darkness, Dreams, Dreams and Nightmares, Dreams vs. Reality, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Hurt/Comfort, Nightfae!Noctis, Nighttime, Possession, Promptis - Freeform, Sunfae!Prompto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-02 23:01:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21169301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibiren/pseuds/hibiren
Summary: [FFXV Halloween Week: Day One] Prompto can't escape his troubles, especially not the ones that plague his dreams.Ouch, I have lost myself againLost myself and I am nowhere to be foundYeah, I think that I might breakLost myself again and I feel unsafe





	Warm Me Up (and Breathe Me)

**Author's Note:**

> this fic's alternate [joking of course hehe] title: "Happy Birthday, Fae!Prompto, Here's a Nightcurse Just for You" since his birthday doubles as the start of FFXV Halloween Week! I thought some promptis was in order, and since the prompt suggestions gave me the idea to bring back a nightcurse I figured, hey, why not?
> 
> **Featuring [FFXV Halloween Week](https://twitter.com/FFXVhalloweenwk)'s Prompts**:  
**Monster of the Day**: Ghosts  
**Theme**: Possession
> 
> Title & summary excerpt from Sia's ["Breathe Me"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwB56IYDfWs)

Prompto had tried to ignore the unsettling feeling in the air, heavy like hanging fog, when he laid down to sleep as the sun disappeared behind the trees. It was likely the change in seasons; it always played with his body in strange ways, especially having to adjust to a different cycle of daylight hours between the warm and cold seasons. That was, at least, what he convinced himself as he laid down to rest and eventually slipped into dreams.

Within his dreamscape he laid suspended, floating yet unmoving. He waited for the visions of sunlit forests, of warmth and memories of the day to visit him, and yet - nothing. Just darkness. Darkness like ink. Ink that slowly began to trail across his body as if he were sinking into a quicksand of it. When Prompto tried to cry out all that sounded was the frantic gasp of air leaving his lungs. The inkshadows were cold like ice as they swallowed him whole, and he knew what this meant. The nightcurse was back. But… Noctis had said he’d killed it. Had he been so unlucky as to draw another to himself?

_I am alive,_ came a hissing, grating voice that echoed throughout the shadowy expanse, _because I am you. I am your deepest fears, buried away, locked deep within. You can never be rid of me._

Prompto tried to squirm, to fight off the shadows and they just drew him deeper. He was cold, so cold, he thought he would freeze within his own mind if he could. No matter how hard he wished himself to wake up - to even try calling for Noctis, however futile the efforts may have been - he couldn’t move. He simply laid there, eyes wide, stiff as a sculpture frozen in place. There was no warmth anywhere, nothing he could draw from. No reserves of energy or magic he could pull from within himself, as if the nightcurse fed off of it and left him with nothing.

Eerie laughter warbled through the dreamscape and somewhere, distantly, Prompto could feel the nightcurse’s presence as it surrounded him, latched onto him, sunk itself into his skin. It was like his whole body had been submerged in thick, icy liquid.

It overtook him easily. Completely. Against his will, Prompto’s body began to move like a puppet with tangled strings. Whatever he could do to fight it only made his motions seize more, as if he were stuttering through an awkward, invisible battle with himself.

_I want to wake up._

_I need to wake up._

_Wake up, Prompto._

_Wake up!_

_...Prompto!_

“Prompto! Hey! Let go of me!”

It was Noctis’ voice, drawing him from the dark. It sounded like the faeprince was there, so close to him. How long had he been there? But something was wrong. When Prompto’s eyes opened, they quickly widened in terror when he realized that the nightcurse’s magic had his physical form under its control. His hands were clasped tightly around Noctis’ neck and had the nightfae at a distance, unable to move or fight back. No matter how hard Prompto tried to let go, the nightcurse’s magic only made his grip tighten, until Noctis let out a choking sound.

“Noctis! I… I can’t… the nightcurse! It’s back! It has me un - ”

Prompto’s lips pressed tightly shut, and the nightcurse’s voice echoed within his head: _shut up. Silence._

_Get out of my head!!_ Yelled the sunfae, yet no sound left his lips; only reverberated through his mind as if through an empty room.

“P-Prompto, I… I need you to let go!” Noctis gasped, his face contorted into an expression of pained concentration. “I don’t want to hurt you! Please.”

“Get it out, get it out!” Prompto screamed, finally finding the strength to force the words through his lips despite the creature’s hold on his body. The sudden burst seemed to catch the nightcurse off guard as well and Noctis immediately took note. He pulled Prompto’s hands free of his neck and tackled him back hard against the floor. It knocked the wind from the sunfae but he knew that if he was hurting, the nightcurse was too.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get rid of the nightcurse for you. Trust me. Okay?” the faeprince said, a gentle smile at his lips unfitting of the fact that Prompto (unknowingly) had nearly suffocated him. All Prompto could do was nod.

Noctis bent down and pulled Prompto into a gentle kiss. The nightcurse screeched and Prompto’s body began to writhe and squirm, but the firm weight of Noctis over him did well to keep Prompto still. Pain sparked through Prompto’s head, his chest, and his mouth tasted of bitter metal and smoke but he could tell Noctis was actually helping. The heaviness in his limbs slowly began to fade along with the nightcurse’s wailing until silence rang through his ears.

When Prompto opened his mouth to thank Noctis, no sound came out. He tried again, and a sobbing breath escaped as a result. Noctis just held to him, firm, but calm. The prince’s eyes were closed and his expression noted one of sleep - or focus. Prompto could no longer hear the nightcurse or feel its cold claws against his skin… did that mean Noctis had won?

Something dripped down onto Prompto’s shoulder from where Noctis had rested his head in his transfixed state. When Prompto moved to wipe it away, he was alarmed to see the same black ink from his dreamscape trailing heavily from Noctis’ parted lips.

“Noctis! You can fight it, you’ve already dealt with one before. Please, you have to stay strong,” whispered the sunfae, giving Noctis’ arm a quick squeeze of reassurance. He wasn’t even sure if Noctis could hear him but he hoped his encouragements were heard.

And then Noctis’ eyes flew open and he coughed harshly, more black inkdark spilling free.

“H-Hey, Noctis… a-are you alright?”

“It’s gone,” Noctis sighed and slowly took a deep breath. After a weary chuckle, the prince added, “I can’t leave you alone anymore at night, can I? You’re like a beacon for these things.”

Prompto just held weakly onto Noctis as much as his grip would allow.

“Guess I’m just all kinds of bad luck, aren’t I? I’m… sorry.”

“Nah. You’re not bad luck, trust me. You’ve just got a lot of bad things thrown your way. But… I’ll protect you from it.” A strange, distant, sad look passed over Noctis’ eyes for a single second before he offered a smile at the blond instead. “Hey, you ought to get some sleep. Catch up on all that missed dreaming for me, hm?”

It only took what felt like another half-minute for Prompto to fall asleep. No more staying awake for hours, when Noctis wasn’t around him. When the faeprince was there, and held him in his arms, Prompto just felt like he could sleep easier. For once, he had someone to protect him. Someone who was willing to share in his pain. Someone he could feel safe around during a time he was the most vulnerable - yet when the nightfae were strongest. Sometimes nature had a strange way of working, but Prompto was thankful that Fate was on his side that night.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed some fae!promptis spoopy goodness for the (in this case, quite literally lol!) sunshine boy's birthday! Prompto needs extra cuddles now, for having scary dream monsters come after him. Noctis has to keep him safe! :3
> 
> For anyone who's reading this for the first time! Nightcurses are something that poor fae!Prompto has had to deal with in the past before and had also been saved from by Noct; nightcurses are the equivalent of a nightmare daemon of sorts, and they give their victims terrifying dreamvisions which allow said nightcurses to gain their power. Noctis - as a nightfae - eats things like dreams and memories for magical sustenance; so a nightcurse ruining the best-tasting happy fae dreams with nightmares is something he has to watch out for. And also he wants to keep poor Prompto safe because let's face it, who doesn't? ; 3 ; maybe Noct is also happy to share a kiss with Prompto even if it's to get his dreams fixed up~ hehe


End file.
